Varun Agarwal was kid from India who had always been told to think before he did something. When he told his Mom and Anu Aunty that he wanted to be a filmmaker, they told him that it was a bad idea, and he should be an engineer or a doctor instead. This caused him to think that he might fail as a filmmaker, so he went to college for engineering instead. While he was a very successful student, he hated engineering. But then one day, for the first time in his life, he failed. This was one of the best moments of his life, because he realized that failing wasn’t that bad. Varun decided to stop thinking so much, and just do. With the help of YouTube, Varun was able to create Last Minute Films while in college. It was a fairly successful production company for online videos.
Then, after he graduated, he came up with an idea. He and his friend decided to sell merchandise for schools and colleges all across the country. While the old Varun would’ve stopped and thought things over (and probably drop the idea all together), the new Varun didn’t think and took the risk. He had failed before, so what if did it again?
Fortunately, he didn’t fail. They launched their business, Alma Mater, in 2009 when Varun was just 22 years old. Despite his family and friends discouraging him, Varun pushed on. His drive paid off, because Alma Mater would go on to become India’s school and college merchandise company. He would then go on to write an autobiography, How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-founded a Million Dollar Company, which would become a national bestseller.
I think one of Varun Agarwal’s most effective trait is was his willingness to confront challenges, even if it seemed impossible to overcome them. Also, He knew that it was better to fail at something you love than to succeed at something you hate. He has taught me to act on my ideas, because they won’t do anyone any good if I don’t share them.
This is such an inspiring story! The fact that he first tried engineering and then chose to follow his passion even though it was a huge risk because of his family’s disproval shows what a true entrepreneurial spirit he has. He didn’t have extensive business knowledge or experts surrounding him, but he decided to act instead of mull over the many thoughts, the mark of a real entrepreneur. I wonder if he inspired a wave of young Indian entrepreneurs who, through him, saw potential for success beyond the realms of engineering, law and medicine. It’s impressive that he was able to create such a successful company having not gone to school for a related degree, but especially moving since he had to choose to go against his parents’ hopes for him. It really was a risk but I’m so glad it worked out for him. Thanks for sharing!